Insulated rail-joint.



' "gsg l @.LBUGK. INSULATED RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED PERES, 1909.

' Patented June 20, 1911.

s'rnrs ofirrio CHRISTIAN I. BUCK, OF GALLITZIN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE IRAIL JOINT COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., AA CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

INsULnTEn RAIL-JOINT.

specification of Laterna/tent. 'Patented June en 1911,

i Application tiled February 23, 1909. Serial No. 479,301.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHRISTIAN J. BUCK, a citizen,A of the United States, residingat Gallitzin, in the county of Cambria, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Insulated Rail- Joints, of which the following is a specifica* tlon.

This invention 'relates to rail joints of .the insulated type, andhas special reference to certain novel and practical improvements therein designed t-o provide a metallic bearing support at the under sidesv of the rail heads, and also to maintain an effective in sulation throughout the joint.

' The primary object of the invention lis to provide a construction ,wherein the bearing area for the insulating material 'is increased to a greater extent than the area ofthe contact between the under sides of the rail heads and the joint bars. Hence it is proposed by the present invention to provide a construction of insulated. rail joint in which the structure is simplified, also to provide a solid metal support for the rails, and to provide an enlarged bearing surface for the splice bars and filler members between which the insulating material is held, the flanged or overlianging top portion of the filler members exposed to the insulating material being of greater, area than the under surface of the rail head. Therefore, the combination and y arrangement of parts claimed herein, serves toincrease in a practical manner, the bearing areavfor the insulating material, and to decrease the fiber strain, thus enabling lthe material to better withstand the load imposed.

The invention is necessarily susceptible to structural modification without departing from the spirit or scope thereof, but a practical embodiment thereof is shown in the accompanying drawings in which:-

Figure 1 is a top` plan view of an insulated rail joint constructed in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical.cross section view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig.

3 is a similar sectional vieviT on the line 8-3 of Fig. 1.l

- Like references designate corresponding parts inthe several figures ofthe drawings.

A rail joint constructed in accordance with the present invention is characterized bythe' employment of outer continuous splice bars,-

inner filler-members, "interposed between the under sides of the rail heads, thus providing an increased bearing for the insulation with a consequent reduction of the fiber strain. This general combination and arrangement of parts is susceptible to embodiment in various forins of construction but is well exempliiedby the design of joint shown in the drawings, to which particular reference will now be made.

The insulated rail joint shown in the drawings comprises the service rails R--R outer continuous splice bars 1 1 inner filler members 2 2 and the usual series of joint bolts 3. The oppositely arranged splice bars 1 extend the full length of the rail joint, and each of said bars along one end portion thereofis preferably of plain angle bar formation as indicated by the reference 4, and this angle par-t 4 is designed toft in the shing space of one of the rails and have a direct metallic engagement with the under side ofthe rail head and with the upper side of the 'rail flange. Beyond the angle bar pa rt 4,

each splicebar 1 is provided with a thickened offset 5 extending across the joint be-4 tween the meeting ends of the rails, and this offsetting is continued to the opposite end of the b ar yarranged at the side of the other rail. The offset part of the splice bar arranged at the side of one of the rails is preferably-constructed with an angular or approximately V shaped inner face which opposes a correspondingly shaped outer face for the outer side of a filler member 2. By reason of the angular formation or angula` recessing of the outer side of each liller member 2, the latter is provided at its upper vedge with an outturned projection or iiange 6 having a direct contact with the under side of the rail head and also provided with a bearing face 7 opposing a corresponding bearing face 8 on the adjacent splice bar, which bearing faces are of greater area than the area of the under side of the rail head.

`It will be observed, in the form of construction described, that each splice bar 1 has a direct bolted connection at one end with one of' the rails 'while the other end of said splice bar is offset from the side of the other rail and a fillermember 2 is interposed between said rail and said offset. portion of the splice bar. Insulating material 9 is interposed between the aforesaid angular faces of each filler member and the cooperating par't of, tbe splice bar and to complete the insulation of the joint suitable bolt insulation l0 is supplied for the ends.of the bolts passing through and engaging the splice bars, and an insulating end post 11 is interposed between the rail ends, all of which is plainly shown in theseveral figures of the drawings. 1

In carrying forward the invention it is preferred to arrange the splice bars and filler members upon opposite sides o f the rails in alternate relation, that is, to have one of the splice bars bolted directly to one of the rails and the opposite' 'splice barv boltedvdirectly to the other rail and with a corresponding alternation of the filler members, although it will be understood lthat it is within the purview of the invention to have both ends of the joint alike with liller members and insulation upon both sides "of each rail to provide what'is asl known in the art as a two-end insulated joint, and it is also within the purview of the invention to have both splice bars bolted directly to the same rail, and the filler members `and insulation 9 likewise associated with the same rail.

As hereinbefore indicated the primary object of the invention is to provide an insulated rail joint wherein the bearing area for the insulating material at the underside of the iange or overhanging top portion of the filler members is increasedto a greater extent than the area of the contact between the under sides of the rail heads and the joint bars, thus serving. to distribute the pressure of the load upon the insulation over a bearing area ofnsuch increasedV extent as to very materially decrease the ber strain and enable the material to better withstand the load imposed, vconsequently greatly increasing the l1fe of the insulation as well as its general efliciency. A contact of opposing parts over the entire area of lsaid bearing surfaces, with a practicall;r uniform distributiomof pressure upon` the insulation, is necessary to insure full eiiiciency and commercial possibilities in the engaging the underside of tue-Eran nead but also h'aving direct engagement with the siblefor them to cant out of position andV thus restrict the area of contact for the insulation. to substantially a line of contact, which result would'defeat the very purpose of the inventiong' and, furthermore, the' peculiarly formed recess in each filler' member and the correspondingly shaped inner side for the splice bar provide, a construction which causes the splice bars, when adjusted inwardly by the joint bolts, to have an 0blique movement to take up wear or to adapt the parts to variationsin thickness of insulation or to variations in thicknesses of the splice bars and filler members themselves, thus eliminating the possibilty of arelative vertical movement between the splice bars and filler members being ycreated from either of these causes (which possibility is met in actual service) withoutprovision for correcting or avoiding the same. In other words, the present applicant provides a construction having closely abuttingy joint parts, (and an increased bearing area for the insulating material beneath the rail heads), and also having reliable and permanent adjusting means for maintaining the Iincreased area of bearing contact upon'the insulating material under conditions where take-up 1s necessary for wear, as well 'ason account `of the .variations 1n thlcknesses of Amaterial as above referred to.

I claim v:-- 1. An insulated railjoint comprising splice bars, filler membersabutting the rail assembted position, said splice bars and' filler members having means coperating with the securing means for maintaining the increased area of bearing contact upon f the insulation. a

2. In an insulated rail joint, splice bars secured directly to one rail and having ro# jections deflected' therefrom and over apjections extending therefrom,

ping the other rail, filler members engaging the under side of the rail head and the web of the rail, said members having proinsulating members engaging `said ller members and the splice bars, the area of said projections j exposed to said insulating members being of a greater area than the area of the under side of the rail head, and means engaging said splice bars for securing the parts in assembled position, said splice bars and filler members having means coperating with said securing means for maintaining the increased area of bearing contact upon the insulation.

3. In an insulated'rail joint, the combination of ller members, splice bars, insulating members therebetween, and adjustable joint fastenings; each filler member directly engaging the under side of the rail head and the upper side of the rail ange, and provided with an upper bearing face for t-he insulation of a greater area thanthe area ofl the underside of the rail head, andthe splice bar having an upper portion underlying the said bearing face of the Eller member and a lower portion overlying that part of the latter which engages and overliesthe rail flange, said splice bars and filler members having means cooperating with the joint fastenings for maintaining the increased area of bearing contact upon the insulation.

4. In 'an insulated rail joint, the combination of filler members, splice bars, interposed insulating members, joint fastenings; each filler member directly engaging the under side of t-he rail head andv the upperl side of the rail flange and provided with an upper bearing face 'for the insulation of a greater area-than the area of the under side ofthe rail head, and said splice bars and the insulating members havino portions which overlie that part of the -ller member 'which engages and overlies the ria-il flange, the said splice bars and filler members also `having means coperating.

with the' joint fastenings for maintaining the increased area ofvbearing'contact upon the insulation;

5. In an insulated rail joint, the combina- 50 tion with the filler members, splice bars, interposed insulation and adjustable joint fastenings; each filler member Lhaving at its outer side an angular recess, the lower face of which lies oblique to a vert-ical plane, and the splice bar havinga correspondingly shaped side registering within said recess and against the interposed insulation.

6. In an insulated rail joint, the combination with filler members, splice bars, interposed insulation, and adjustable joint fastenings; each liller member having at its outer sidean angular recess, the upper face of which is of greater area than the area of n the under side of the rail head, and the lower face of which lies oblique to a vertical plane,

andthe splice bar having a correspondingly shaped outer side registering within said recess and-against the interposed insulation. 8. In an insulated rail joint, the combination of filler members, splice bars, nterposed insulation, and adjustable joint fastenings; each filler member having at its outer side an angular recess, one face of which slopes upwardly and outwardly, and

the other face of which slopes downwardly and outwardly, and the splice bar having'a correspondingly shaped inner side registering within said recess and against the interposed insulation.

In testimony. whereof I hereunto aiiix my lsignature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHRISTIAN J. BUCK.

Witnesses:

E. ESVGHERMERHORN, MARY E. STEPHENS.

'Uoples of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing'the Commissioner of .'Patents,

Washington, D. C.` Y Y 

